Door to fender misalignment fix
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Lead Driver
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 7,196
Likes: 387
From: Near Los Angeles
Door to fender misalignment fix
Hey guys. Years back I swapped out my doors and ended up with some misalignment issues. Passenger side door pinches the fender when I open it. I am getting ready to do a paint job and would like to take care of this issue before spraying the truck.
I'm wondering if I should buy that door alignment door from LMC, or would that be a waste of $? Pls let me know.
I'm wondering if I should buy that door alignment door from LMC, or would that be a waste of $? Pls let me know.
Lead Driver
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 7,912
Likes: 2,373
You simply need to adjust it. and if you want perfection beyond a factory fit welding and grinding may be required.
Set your gap are the rear of the door and make sure it fits at the top of the door as well. best to remove the striker for this.
Now adjust your fender to fit the front of the door. then adjust the front of the fender and hood . it can all take a little time but you can get it as good or better than it left the factory with a little work. this is all assuming it's original sheet metal, with imported junk all bets are off.
Set your gap are the rear of the door and make sure it fits at the top of the door as well. best to remove the striker for this.
Now adjust your fender to fit the front of the door. then adjust the front of the fender and hood . it can all take a little time but you can get it as good or better than it left the factory with a little work. this is all assuming it's original sheet metal, with imported junk all bets are off.
Moderator & parts slinger
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 50,286
Likes: 5,826
From: S/W Missouri, Polk county
1st insp the cab mounts, all good? 2nd insp the hinge pins for being tight. Replace them if necessary.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/331937829035
https://www.npdlink.com/1948-1979-fo...als/door-hinge
https://www.npdlink.com/product/door...l/104146/50999
https://shop.broncograveyard.com/197...uctinfo/24365/
Then yes mark around the door striker position with a sharpie and remove it to make open and closing the door a 1000 time easier. Just like removing the hood latch when adjusting that. Here is a walk thru from a fellow FTE member. You can get a wooden house door frame install package of angled wooden shim to help.
"After cab mounts you will check that your door hinges have no play. Now you can adjust your door gap to the cab as the adjustment is in the door hinge.
For making the vertical door edge gap consistent between rear-of-door-and-pillar AND horizontal gap of top-of-door-to-roof-of-cab, the fender has to be off so the door hinge bolts going into the cab are accessible (because the fender blocks them otherwise) and can be loosened, so the door can be moved rearward or forward as well as up and down, to gain consistent gap all around while trying to keep the door cove lower than the outer cowl, so that the fender cove will line up to it later.
When this gap is set and that set of hinge bolts tightened, then you can set inner fenders between cab and radiator support, leaving inner fender bolts loose, then you can set outer fenders on to line up rad support and cowl mounts, and see how the gap looks between the fender and door, this is where a lot of adjusting can happen of the 4 fenders and rad support and adding washers between rad support and body bushing mount, and maybe bending that middle fender bolt tab by front of door to ease line up.
The door doesn't move forward, rearward, or up and down, at this point as that's adjusted already.
What the door can do now is be moved away from cab or be tucked closer to the cab with the door striker and door hinge bolts that are bolted into the door, so mark your vertical position to keep that while you adjust on the door hinge in or out to be flush with rear-of-door-to-cab, and front-of-door-to-fender, while also bring both inner/outer fender to where they need to be vertically, horizontally, and flush."
IMO The constant line to work with and or to chase is the dentside top and bottom break over point of the dent. The little cab dent is great for the back edge of the door. Pick a top or bottom and stay with it. Shim, adjust, shim adjust, look, battle OCD, shim, adjust.
Remember the cowl is FIXED in place and that can drive the fender to bottom of cowl edge gap. Have fun.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/331937829035
https://www.npdlink.com/1948-1979-fo...als/door-hinge
https://www.npdlink.com/product/door...l/104146/50999
https://shop.broncograveyard.com/197...uctinfo/24365/
Then yes mark around the door striker position with a sharpie and remove it to make open and closing the door a 1000 time easier. Just like removing the hood latch when adjusting that. Here is a walk thru from a fellow FTE member. You can get a wooden house door frame install package of angled wooden shim to help.
"After cab mounts you will check that your door hinges have no play. Now you can adjust your door gap to the cab as the adjustment is in the door hinge.
For making the vertical door edge gap consistent between rear-of-door-and-pillar AND horizontal gap of top-of-door-to-roof-of-cab, the fender has to be off so the door hinge bolts going into the cab are accessible (because the fender blocks them otherwise) and can be loosened, so the door can be moved rearward or forward as well as up and down, to gain consistent gap all around while trying to keep the door cove lower than the outer cowl, so that the fender cove will line up to it later.
When this gap is set and that set of hinge bolts tightened, then you can set inner fenders between cab and radiator support, leaving inner fender bolts loose, then you can set outer fenders on to line up rad support and cowl mounts, and see how the gap looks between the fender and door, this is where a lot of adjusting can happen of the 4 fenders and rad support and adding washers between rad support and body bushing mount, and maybe bending that middle fender bolt tab by front of door to ease line up.
The door doesn't move forward, rearward, or up and down, at this point as that's adjusted already.
What the door can do now is be moved away from cab or be tucked closer to the cab with the door striker and door hinge bolts that are bolted into the door, so mark your vertical position to keep that while you adjust on the door hinge in or out to be flush with rear-of-door-to-cab, and front-of-door-to-fender, while also bring both inner/outer fender to where they need to be vertically, horizontally, and flush."
IMO The constant line to work with and or to chase is the dentside top and bottom break over point of the dent. The little cab dent is great for the back edge of the door. Pick a top or bottom and stay with it. Shim, adjust, shim adjust, look, battle OCD, shim, adjust.
Remember the cowl is FIXED in place and that can drive the fender to bottom of cowl edge gap. Have fun.
Hotshot
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 10,867
Likes: 2,626
From: The Shenandoah Valley
Hey guys. Years back I swapped out my doors and ended up with some misalignment issues. Passenger side door pinches the fender when I open it. I am getting ready to do a paint job and would like to take care of this issue before spraying the truck.
I'm wondering if I should buy that door alignment door from LMC, or would that be a waste of $? Pls let me know.
I'm wondering if I should buy that door alignment door from LMC, or would that be a waste of $? Pls let me know.
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